The American Adventure:
Experience It!

This
article appeared in the
January 22, 2008 Issue #435 of ALL EARS® (ISSN:
1533-0753)

I'm often
asked what is my favorite Walt Disney World attraction. I never hesitate
to proudly proclaim The American Adventure
as, hands down, my favorite place to visit at Walt Disney World.

Although
sometimes when I say American Adventure and not some thrill ride like
Space Mountain, Mission: SPACE, Soarin', The Twilight Zone Tower of
Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster or even Expedition Everest, you would
think I had committed a felony.

For a long
time I have had a deep affection for the American Adventure attraction.
This attraction does so much for me and has so much to offer. Almost
every time I visit the pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase I wonder how
many guests take for granted what this attraction has to offer them.

When Epcot
was first designed, or I should say, when World Showcase received
its original design, the United States pavilion was not exactly positioned
where it is today. The original design had this pavilion placed between
Future World and World Showcase. This would allow the pavilion to serve
as a gateway to World Showcase.

Actually
one reason for putting it there was so that Canada would be to America's
north and Mexico to the south. Thus the decision, at least temporarily,
was to build the pavilion between Future World and World Showcase and
to build it up on stilted structures so guests would actually walk under
the pavilion and then come out to see the World Showcase in all its
splendor.

That sounded
like a good idea at the time.

The discussion
on placement never stopped. Not everyone agreed that putting it at the
front of World Showcase was the best idea. The notion of putting the
pavilion away from the other pavilions seemed to some an arrogant move.
Others thought that separating it from the other countries would make
it seem aloof.

Should
the United States pavilion not even be part of the World Showcase? That
would not work.

The debate
went on until it was finally decided that the United States pavilion
as the host pavilion should have a position among the others as the
centerpiece of World Showcase. The argument continued that since it
would be the host pavilion, it should be the first pavilion the guests
see as they approach World Showcase. Thus the United States pavilion
now sits center stage in World Showcase welcoming guests and visitors
to that part of Epcot.

The
design of the pavilion is another story.

The original
design was something far different than the structure we see today.
The original design, which was based on the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington,
D.C., bothered the World Showcase designers and the Imagineers because
it was very contemporary (some would say futuristic) and not in the
traditional design of the other countries.

It just
didn't seem right.

After more
discussion and much debate, it was agreed that the pavilion should be
built in Georgian architecture style. The pavilion today stands as a
proud Georgian mansion, emulating architectural design from the late
1700s. It encompasses 108,000 square feet and was built with handmade
Georgia red clay bricks, some 110,000 of them.

I like
it.

In talking
with longtime American Adventure cast member Lonnie, I found out that
the flag that flies on top of the pavilion has 15 stars. Do you know
why?

Well, during
the 1700s, the plan was that a star and a stripe would be added for
each state as it entered the union. Someone recognized that the stripe
portion of the flag would take on a not-so-striking appearance if this
continued. So the decision came down to just add to the star field and
keep the 13 stripes representing the 13 original colonies.

Francis
Scott Key wrote the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner while gazing
at a 15-star flag.

The
American Adventure also holds for me what I consider the best live entertainment
at the Walt Disney World Resort.

I'm talking
about the Voices of Liberty. Of course it helps that I'm a big
a cappella fan. I could sit all day in the great rotunda of the American
Adventure pavilion and listen to the Voices of Liberty deliver song
after song, be it a patriotic, spiritual, or Americana tune. Over the
years the most amazing aspect of the Voices of Liberty is that although
personnel may change, it seems the voices never change. The rendition
of "Shenandoah" I heard back in 1990 sounds the same in 2008, but I
know the faces have changed.

On to
the attraction.

The stage
itself is about the size of half a football field. Last I checked it
was about 130 feet long and 50 feet wide. The theater holds 1024 guests
and, since each show runs about 28 minutes, some 2048 guests can enjoy
this attraction every hour.

The story
of the American Adventure is told through the eyes of Benjamin Franklin
and Mark Twain. They take the guests on a journey that is helped very
much by an assortment of audio-animatronic figures, film, and music.

It took
five years to fully develop the American Adventure attraction.

This attraction
is said to be the first to contain audio-animatronic figures with individual
voice and speaker systems. Think about the Hall of Presidents in Magic
Kingdom and you'll understand the difference. That attraction has a
theater system style audio approach.

The term
"the Wagon" was often used when discussing the machinery underneath
the American Adventure Theater. This 175-ton, 65 x 35 x 14-foot machine
is responsible for changing the scenes throughout the show and bringing
up the right set of characters and other parts as the story of the American
Adventure is told. I can go on and on about this outstanding piece of
machinery, but if you've ever seen the attraction you know how quietly
and efficiently the scenes change. Hydraulics play a big part as there
are several hydraulic lifts, which bring the sets into place.

The screen
images are shown via a rear projection system; otherwise the scenes
with the audio-animatronic figures would cast shadows on the screen.
The screen itself is 28 feet high and 155 feet long. The film used in
the show is well over 3000 feet in length and if you're wondering, the
film size is 70 mm.

Here
are some interesting facts about the show:

-- The
Library of Congress was contacted for permission to copy the presidential
seal used for Franklin D. Roosevelt's inaugural speech in 1933.

-- Imagineers
scanned old magazines to find the appropriate ads used during the Depression.

-- The
hair on the figures is real human hair. I understand that each wig is
woven one hair at a time at an average cost of $13,000 apiece.

-- The
furniture pieces used in the show are real antiques.

I have
yet to get through the attraction's finale signature song/film "Golden
Dream" without shedding a tear. Coming from astronaut Christa McAuliffe's
state you can understand what it feels like when I see her image on
the screen.

For most
of us who remember the Kennedy assassination, the figure of JFK Jr.
saluting during his father's funeral is quite moving. This film shows
so many memorable moments in American history and it is updated from
time to time. It was recently updated and 45 seconds were added to the
film, but in such a subtle manner that it seems as if they were just
"folded" into the film.

Why is
the film updated? Well, as Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain tell us,
the American Adventure continues.

As "Golden
Dream" finishes, the 12 Spirits of America statues are somewhat showcased
as the curtains behind them ascend. It's quite a finale. These statues
represent all the qualities which make up the American spirit.

I'll leave
you with this bit of trivia. When the show designers were putting together
the first plans, the thought was to have a host or hosts for
each century. Obviously, Ben Franklin and Mark Twain made "the cut"
for the first two centuries.

Any
idea who was up for consideration for the 20th Century?

Two figures
were considered... Will Rogers and Walter Cronkite. However, it was
decided to stick with Franklin and Twain as co-hosts, as Rogers and
Cronkite were determined to be "too close" to serve as hosts.

This attraction
remains my favorite destination when I'm in Walt Disney World. It's
the combination of the architecture, the sounds of the Voices of Liberty,
the great rotunda, the story of the first two centuries of the American
Adventure and the stirring images and music found in "Golden Dream"
that offer to guests an experience they will never forget.

I have
to visit the American Adventure on every trip. I have some unfinished
business. I have to get through "Golden Dream."

Can you?

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ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:

Mike Scopa
has been a huge Disney fan for as long as he can remember. He first
visited Walt Disney World in 1975 and has returned many times (how many?
he's lost count!) since. Mike is a contributor to the Unofficial Guide
to Walt Disney World and Cara Goldsbury's Luxury Guide to Walt Disney
World and has served as keynote speaker for the 2006 and 2007 MagicMeets.
He is also co-host of the WDWTODAY Podcast.